What to do when someone wants free interior design advice
We have all been there- at a party where we are asked to give advice - in quite a lot of detail! There is a fine line between being gracious and being taken advantage. How not to feel obliged to give free interior design advice, ever.
Keep it light and friendly, but direct people to the services page on your website
TL/DR
Have you ever been at a party and you have mentioned that you are designer to some one you have just met and they say: “ Oh you should come over to my place to help” .
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I was at the optometrist last week getting an eye test and had to mention what I did for a living and the optometrist said exactly that. I am sure if I met her at a party and needed someone to check my eyes, she would quite easily say: “Just book an appointment! Here’s my card, website etc”. This is probably the most professional response. I didn’t take her up on it as she lived in Northern Sydney and she isn’t my IC.
THE KEY IS :
Don’t get into the habit of offering free consultations. You will never make any money.
Here are some tips about what you can do in this kind of situation:
Keep it friendly and light: A light touch in this scenario is always the best way to go. Change the subject if you can- talk about the decor of the room (if positive!) or your kids or your dog/cat, rabbit, pet frog.
If you would like to tell them the name of your business and indicate your web address. Only send them the link if they request it. If you are at a party where you both know the host, if they are interested they can get your contacts from them.
Keep it professional. You wouldn’t ask an optometrist to examine your eyes in the middle of a party. So if they press, say something lightly such as “ You can schedule a [free] consultation with me- I think more clearly about interiors when I am at the office!”
If they are still pressing you and you are getting the impression that they want free advice then you could make a comment like:
This sounds great! I’m just checking, is this a paid opportunity?
Why don’t you take a look at my website and get to know my work, you can then contact me via the site if you think we would be a good fit
If you offer free resources via your website, you could say something like this: “Wow, your project sounds really interesting! I have a free resource via my website that you can use to “pick the perfect wall colour”, “choose a rug for your living room”, “ design the perfect child, teenager,pet-friendly room”, “everything you need to know about hiring an interior designer”, “how to pick your design style” etc. Then you get the opportunity not just to help them but it doesn’t take up your time, and you get to nurture them to possibly become your paid client. Win, win.
I’ll be writing a blog post soon which will outline freebie ideas for interior designers. Make sure that you follow the blog to read it when it launches!
Check out our courses on branding and websites specifically for interior designers just like you who want to start and scale up their interior design businesses.
